Professor Phil Schmidt (right) was presented with the Chester F. Carlson Award by outgoing ASEE president, Dr. J. P. Mohsen, at the ASEE Awards Banquet on June 23, 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky .
Professor Phil Schmidt, who began teaching engineering courses at The University of Austin, Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1970, has received one of the most prestigious awards given to an engineering professor, the 2010 Chester F. Carlson Award (PDF file Awards Banquet brochure) from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).
Chester F. Carlson and his namesake award
The Chester F. Carlson Award is presented annually to an individual innovator in engineering education who, by motivation and ability to reach beyond the accepted traditions, has made a significant contribution to the profession. The award is sponsored by Xerox Corporation and consists of a $1,000 honorarium and a plaque.
Chester F. Carlson, a law student at the time and later a patent attorney and research engineer, is noted for his invention of xerography, the process of dry copying using electrostatic charges to transfer printing halftones to paper. In 1944, he demonstrated his technique in Battelle Memorial Institute, which undertook the development of the process. Fifteen years later, the first office copier was introduced by Haloid Xerox.
Citation:
Philip S. Schmidt is recognized for his lifetime record as an outstanding teacher and mentor to engineering students, his contributions to innovation in engineering education through development of web-based learning resources for thermodynamics and as Director of the Project-Centered Engineering Education (PROCEED) Program , and for his efforts to promote educational and career opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities.
Dr. Schmidt's Bio printed in the ASEE Awards' Banquet Program
Philip S. Schmidt is the Donald J. Douglass Centennial Professor of Engineering and University Distinguished Teaching Professor at The University of Texas (UT) at Austin. He received his B.S. in aeronautics and astronautics from M.I.T. (1962) and his M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University (1968). He was a Woodrew Wilson Teaching Fellow at Prairie View A&M College (1968-1970) and joined the faculty at The University of Texas at Austin in 1970.
Schmidt teaches courses in thermodynamics and design of thermal-fluid systems, as well as short-courses on industrial electrotechnology. He was founder of The University of Texas at Austin Engineering Instructional Media Laboratory (now the Faculty Innovation Center) and is currently Associate Chair for Undergraduate Development and Director of the PROCEED (Project-Centered Education) Program.
His research focuses on optimization of energy efficiency in industrial processes. From 1981-2002 he was Head of the Process Energetics Program in the Center for Energy and Environmental Resources at The University of Texas at Austin. He has written over 80 articles in the research literature and is the author or co-author of three books and several book chapters. His industrial experience includes two years as on aerodynamics research engineer with Bell Helicopter Company and one and a half years as senior consultant-in-residence with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). He consults regularly with corporations, national laboratories, and government organizations on matters pertaining to energy efficiency and process enhancement. His record of public service includes the Governor's Energy Advisory Council, Chair of the Joint U.S.-Soviet Symposium of Efficient Electricity Use, the Committee on the Future of Central-Station Electric Power of the National Academy of Engineering, and the Electricity Utilization Working Group for the Office of Technology Assessment of the Congress.
Schmidt has received numerous teaching awards, both institutional and national, including theASEE Ralph Coats Roe Award (1992) and Texas Professor of the Year from Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (1994). In 1995, he was selected as one of the 10 inaugural members of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at The University of Texas at Austin Austin. In 2009, he received the Chancellor's Council Teaching Excellence Award from The University of Texas at Austin and the Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award from The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Texas System, respectively.
Schmidt is active in engineering outreach programs with public schools and directs the Engineering Saturdays program at the Austin Children's Museum.
Nominated by Joseph J. Beaman, The University of Texas at Austin
